My name is Richard McBride and I have ALS. I was diagnosed in November 2012 at 57 years of age. This blog will cover my journey. Just remember, I am living with ALS, not dying from it.

Sunday, 23 August 2015

Another Bad Night

I'm finally up and active. Last night was a rough night on a number of fronts. First of all, I couldn't get to sleep, no matter what I tried. Yet, oddly enough, I didn't think of taking a sleeping pill until well past 3:00 AM, at which point I thought I really could get to sleep without it. Secondly, no matter what I did last night, I couldn't get comfortable. I wasn't in pain, per se; I was just plain sore and uncomfortable for much of the night. Finally, to top it all off, at about 3:00 AM, I had to go to the toilet. No jug for this problem; it was a full get up, transfer to the wheelchair, wheel to the bathroom, transfer to the toilet.

What makes the whole toilet thing really awkward is the loss of my core muscles. They have been weakening for a while. These are the muscles you use to "bear down", or to put it more plainly, push out the contents of your colon. For me, pushing has become more than just a little problematic. These days I am almost completely dependent on gravity, making the whole toileting process slow and arduous, along with just plain awkward.

If you want to know what it feels like, it's really easy. Next time you have to relieve yourself of some solid waste, go ahead and sit on the toilet. Then, don't move a muscle. You may find this difficult to do, as most of these muscles work automatically, without intervention, unless you really have a problem down there. Most of the time it's just sit and go.

The challenge for most people, in fact, is the reverse; how to stop these muscles from working when you don't want them to jump into action. So try it. Try sitting on the toilet without using those muscles, and see how long it takes for gravity to do its part. I can tell you, it takes a very long time, long enough that people begin to wonder if you are safe and alive in there.

I still have some muscle strength in my core; not much, but some. I can still control this process to some modest degree, usually in the act of retention versus expulsion. I still have excellent bowel control in one direction. It's the other direction which is problematic, especially at 3:00 AM.

1 comment:

http://www.squattypotty.com/5-problems-with-sitting-on-your-toilet/ there are various theories about this challenge. Many folks find that slipping something under their feet to raise them , starting from even a brick height can help ease the challenge, so to speak, it just makes it easier.. with the start of loss of muscle control for the expulsion, positioning your legs higher, with supports at hand I guess for balance issues, this kind of position will ease hopefully the strain and will help.

Women with similar lack of muscle challenges from prolapse find this also helps..